The Unknown of the Order (Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

Fighting for Life

Now, both girls dove for the wand on the ground, as the acromantula climbed into the pit. The Death Eaters laughed as the two of them wrestled in the dirt, not trusting the other with the wand, not wanting to be the one without a weapon.

The acromantula's pincers clicked angrily as it adjusted to the light and noise surrounding it, then its eight eyes rested on its prey.

Sarah let go of the wand and launched away from Merula as the spider scuttled toward them on its long legs. The pincers stuck into the ground where they'd been wrestling just seconds ago as Sarah leaped and Merula rolled out of the way.

The spider took a moment to free itself as the girls stood up, each of them covered in dirt and breathing heavily.

"Stupefy!" Merula yelled, directing her wand at the spider. But of course, the jet of red light bounced of its thick skeletal body, rebounded off the protective dome and nearly caught Sarah in the face.

"It's belly!" Sarah yelled. "You've got to hit it underneath or in its eyes!"

She'd fought acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest numerous times; she'd hardly be frightened at all if she'd had her wand in her hand. But now, the giant beast would have little difficulty catching her and injecting her with its venom.

The beast stutter-stepped for a moment, unable to decide if it wanted to eat Sarah or Merula first. Then, it turned its back on her, running at Merula. Merula cast another stunning spell, this time aiming at its eyes, but the spell barely missed and bounced off the top of its head.

"Protego!" she cried, just before the beast reached her. It slammed into the invisible shield. Its dripping black pincers were an inch from Merula's neck as she cowered down, out of reach of its scrambling front legs.

Sarah acted without thinking. She ran up to them along the wall so she could see Merula and the spider facing each other, Merula backed against the wall, fumbling with the wand and cringing away from the hairy legs as they reached desperately for her.

Sarah jumped, using the pit's wall as a springboard so she could land directly on the spider's head. It's piercing scream echoed through the chamber as Sarah stomped down on its two largest eyes, blinding them. It shook its head and sprang backward, causing Sarah to fall on her back to the ground, the acromantula howling over her.

The Death Eater's roared their appreciation of the carnage as the acromantula blinked its bloodied, useless eyes. But, it could still see out of the others. Its front legs stabbed down at Sarah like two enormous spears, but this time Merula was able to hit its belly with a banishing spell and it was blasted back several feet.

Sarah scrambled to her feet as the spider righted itself. She was completely defenseless. It scuttled forward to make another attack. As it stepped in the middle of the floor, the hidden trapdoor opened once more. The spider shrieked as it stumbled inside, it's eight legs struggling for purchase so as not to fall below.

Merula cast a slicing charm, cutting three of the eight legs in two, and the spider tumbled down into the darkness, the trap door closing behind it.

Did that mean the Death Eaters were satisfied the girls were ready to kill one another now? Sarah looked up at the audience, but none of the Death Eaters seemed particularly interested in them at the moment.

A battle was raging around them. The Death Eaters leapt from the stands and shot jets of light at a small group of newcomers, all of whom cast spells furiously at their enemies.

Help had come.

Sarah realized the protective barrier around the ring had been dispelled. She and Merula sprinted for the exit, Merula blasting the iron door aside like it had been made of paper.